NBA Rumors: Latest on Blake Griffin, Rudy Gobert's Contract and More
As the 2016 NBA preseason winds down, the rumor mill just keeps on churning.
And over the weekend, one of those rumors came to life. The Milwaukee Bucks had been shopping Michael Carter-Williams for months before trading him to the Chicago Bulls for Tony Snell.
In the wake of Khris Middleton's hamstring injury, the Bucks needed defense and shooting. Theoretically, Snell can provide a bit of both. Understanding the fit for Carter-Williams and the Bulls is tougher, though Chicago clearly upgraded on talent alone.
Other teams looking to shake up or shore up their rosters are certainly working the phone lines as well. At least that's the case if these NBA rumors are true.
Blake Griffin a Target for the Celtics?
Blake Griffin and Chris Paul could be playing their final seasons as Los Angeles Clippers in 2016-17. Both have early termination options that could make them free agents this coming summer. And if the Clips fall short of the Western Conference Finals for a sixth straight season, the temptation to start over could be strong.
Enter Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics, who always seem to be players in trade and free-agency talks.
"The Celtics also expressed interest in Blake Griffin this summer, so it’s conceivable they’d have interest when he hits free agency," Kevin O'Connor wrote in a profile on Ainge for The Ringer.
That connection makes sense. The Celtics are good, deep and well-coached. But with apologies to Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford, they don't have a legitimate superstar to drive them into the title picture.
A potential frontcourt pairing of Horford and Griffin might be the most skilled in the league. Each has the vision and playmaking ability of a wing or guard. And either can play inside or out in high-low sets.
That kind of versatility, in concert with Griffin's explosive scoring ability, would make the Celtics a real threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy.
Will the Utah Jazz Extend Rudy Gobert?
With offensive leaders Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood all missing the bulk of the preseason with injuries, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has ably taken on a scoring burden.
After averaging 10.7 points per 36 minutes over the course of his three seasons in the NBA, Gobert looks like an entirely different animal on offense this preseason.
He's putting up 22.2 points per 36 minutes for the Jazz, making himself available around the rim on a more regular basis and hitting free throws at a previously unseen rate.
The latter is probably the most important development, and it could give Gobert and his agent even more leverage as the October 31 deadline to extend 2013 draftees looms.
Waiting until next summer to max him out would give the Jazz more cap space during the next free-agency spending spree, but Utah may be ready to forfeit that for Gobert, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein:
"Most league insiders agree that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert remains the most likely candidate, of the 2013 first-rounders still on the board, to land an extension by month's end. The French Rejection -- or Stifle Tower if you insist -- is one of the foremost draft steals of recent vintage, ranks as a leading NBA Defensive Player of the Year favorite and stands as a key figure in Utah's rise in the West.
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Utah generally hasn't been a big player in free agency, so many of the franchise's stars have been homegrown.
Gobert fits that bill, and he could be the team's defensive anchor for years to come. Securing him now could tighten up the budget for the summer of 2017, but with all the young talent the Jazz already have in place, they may not have to worry much about free agency.
A Mario Chalmers-LeBron James Reunion?
Mario Chalmers and LeBron James were teammates with the Miami Heat for four years. They won NBA titles in 2012 and 2013.
Two years after they parted ways, Chalmers and James may now be on track for a reunion.
"Separate from the [J.R.] Smith saga," Stein wrote, "rumbles persist that Cleveland has strong interest in reuniting LeBron James with his old Miami teammate Mario Chalmers when the veteran point guard is sufficiently healthy to return from Achilles surgery in March."
Before going down with that Achilles injury, Chalmers was on his way toward his best season in the NBA. He finished with career highs in both player efficiency rating and box plus-minus, per Basketball-Reference.com.
If he can recapture some of the efficiency magic he conjured up in 2015-16, Chalmers could fill the backup point guard role vacated by the retiring Mo Williams quite nicely.
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